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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · staff · shower · clip · press · net · vault · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. clip — for paper
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — a safe
  5. shower — rain
  6. branch — a division
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. shower — to wash
  10. press — a publisher
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ball — a dance
  13. net — after costs
  14. clip — to cut
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. clip — a video
  19. staff — employees
  20. ball — a great time
  21. press — to push
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. press — newspapers
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com